Bangkok (dpa) – A Thai appeals court on Wednesday upheld a 37-year jail term against a Dutch man for sexually molesting a 12-year-old boy. Willem Gerard Knoppien, 54, was arrested in 2007 and convicted of child abuse in 2010 in the beach resort of Hua Hin, 120 kilometers south-west of Bangkok. The court rejected his appeal, and upheld the sentence of 26 years and eight months for his accomplice, Thanes Bualuang, 35. Thanes' sentence was lighter because he confessed to the crime. According to court testimony, Knoppien and Thanes hired the boy to clean the Dutchman's room in Hua Hin and sexually abused him four times. Knoppien paid the boy 200 baht (6.45 dollars) each time and Thanes paid 120 baht, court records showed. The boy's parents complained to police, leading to the arrests. Thanes admitted to soliciting but Knoppien denied all the charges. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/aIPvq Tags: Child Sex Abuse, Netherlands, Sentence, Thailand Section: East Asia, Europe, Human Rights, Latest News
